Thank you very much to Hachette for sending me this book through Netgalley!
Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.
Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with- secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross. Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand- a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.
But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realises that she might actually 'like' him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realise that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?
Having read The DUFF earlier this year, I was so excited to know there was a companion novel linking to this new story.
We meet Sonny who is continually lying to her friend Amy about her family life, her plans to go to college and now she's gone to the extreme of pretending to be Amy to get the boy she's taken a fancy to- Ryder. A pre-school guy from DC, not Sonny's first choice but like any great teen love story it's always the guys you don't expect...
I found it hard to relate to Sonny with regards to lying, I mean it was continuous. Despite this with regards to her family life I can understand why she would to save her embarrassment and perhaps shame she would have felt towards her Dad's imprisonment. However, when it came to her lying to her best friend over a guy- that's an all time low! We obviously have differing personalities but I felt that this was perhaps a little predictable for it to be built up and then suddenly everything came crashing down.
I respected Amy so much for being Sonny's best friend, surely she's one in a million to stand by her throughout everything- her loyalty and patience was certainly tested throughout this book. I liked the fact this story wasn't just centred on the romantic aspect of a classic teen book, I enjoyed that the friendships were equally as important and engaging.
I love and at the same time hated the end of the book, it felt like a cliffhanger for me and I was waiting for the inevitable ending but it didn't arrive so to speak.
Saying this, I enjoy the novel a lot. Like with The DUFF it's a fun, easy read that makes you smile and cringe all a the same time.
I adore Keplinger's style of writing and our humour matches up perfectly, I would recommend this book to anyone who is stuck in a book hangover. This will definitely get you in the mood to read again, it's funny, romantic, cheesy (in the best way), cringe and just everything you need to reminisce your teen years in a light-hearted brilliant way. I'm definitely interested if there were to be another novel related to this book, it's I love reading when I need something to put a smile on my face.
